His Nightingale
by Kipli
Summary: CoxJD: Challengefic: Cox slips. JD nursemaids. Preslash flirting ensues.


_**Title:**_ His Nightingale  
_**For:**_ LJ community scrubsfichallng - Challenge#7: there for you  
_**Author:**_ Kipli  
_**Email:**_ Kipli at livejournal dot com  
_**Series:**_ Scrubs  
_**Pairing:**_ Cox/JD  
_**Rating:**_ R for Language  
_**Word Count:**_ 1,600  
_**Summary:**_ Cox slips. JD nursemaids. Pre-slash flirting ensues.  
_**Notes:**_ So yeah... I suck at h/c. This is attempt number THREE at writing something for this challenge. And it's not really h/c. But that's right, I've shelved/scrapped two other starts to fics. I don't ever do that... But this--they weren't overly interested in writing for this. I couldn't get them focused. So I'm just goddamned glad that I finished it and I don't hate it. lol Also, I really lay no claim into know what you're supposed to do when someone slips and smacks their head. But I wanted to have the hurt end of the stick pointed at Perry for once. This is s2 I think... s3 maybe. Not connected to anything else of mine. 

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His Nightingale

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The room spins a moment as I blink my eyes back open. I squint up at the bright, hospital lights which seem to be glaring down at me. Was it always this bright in here? I grunt and close my eyes again.

"Doctor Cox?" comes a concerned voice hovering over me.

Newbie. That's right. Newbie's in the room with me. I had been snarling at him about something. What was it? Something... Something about a patient... I grunt again as it comes to me. Ms. Wilson's diagnosis. He refuses to believe it's a lost cause, that the cancer is terminal. Yes, that was it. Christ, does it irritate me when he refuses to listen to reason. Because when the patient doesn't turn around, I have to deal with that sad, puppy dog face of his. All that moping and sighing. Yet every time, every damn time, he still hopes for the best.

How can he still be so optimistic?

I realize he's crouched beside me on the floor, his warm, slim fingers pressed to my throat, checking my pulse. Why was he checking my pulse? I shift to move and the back of my head firmly reminds me of just **why** I'm lying on the floor in the first place. Shit, did I really just slip and fall and smack my head into the linoleum? The floors not even wet. How could I have slipped? That was usually Newbie's territory, tripping over his own two feet.

"Doctor Cox," Newbie says again firmly, louder this time, laced with an interesting tone of worry.

The kid likes me far too much. Really, I don't know why. I've tried my best to get him the hell away from me. Well... maybe not my best... but I've given it a solid effort anyway.

"What?" I growl between clenched teeth, eyes still closed, as I wait for my head to stop pounding from the smack it took to the floor.

His other hand moves to check the back of my neck. Did I really hit my head so badly that he feels compelled enough to give me a thorough once over? At least his fingers aren't cold. Actually, being the girl that he is, I really shouldn't be surprised that he has a nice, comforting touch.

Good god, did I really just think that? Jesus, Per...

Then his fingers slide up along the back of my neck and thread into the base of my hair, searching for any trauma without asking me to roll over and risk further damage. But at that light touch I instantly stuck in a breath and stiffen, headache forgotten.

Really nice touch...

Taking the reaction to the touch as a negative--hell, I'll take it as a negative as well, shit Perry, what the fuck is wrong with you?--his voice takes on a commanding tint now. Well, as commanding as he can get, anyway. "Doctor Cox. Open your eyes. You landed pretty hard. Where does it hurt?"

"Calm the hell down, Gladys. And get your mitts off me. I'm fine." I take a deep breath and finally blink my eyes back open again. "I just... need a moment..." I start as I stare up at Newbie staring down at me, hovering just about a foot above me, partially blocking out the halo of light from above. Despite my order to do so, he hasn't removed his hands from my throat or neck. And as he continues to fix me with his concerned, diagnosing gaze that doesn't waver as I frown up at him, I actually swallow nervously and turn my head away from him.

He's only worried that you've gone and smacked yourself into some head trauma, Per. Christ, I must be getting desperate...

"Nothing hurts? How's your head?" he asks again, moving his hand from the back of my neck to turn my face back toward him.

Damn, does he have really nice hands.

My heart skips at a sultry list of other things I wouldn't **mind** he'd do with those hands. Yup. Desperate. For fuck's sake...

"I'm fine," I manage a little more weakly than I intended, and so add a growl to the end of it.

He's not fazed at all. As I'm forced to stare up at those stormy blue eyes, Newbie frowns some down at me--probably from my rapidly beating heart rate--and asks a third time, "Are you sure? Nothing hurts? I can go get Carla if you want, but you're really flushed and tense and--"

"I'm **fine**, Janice." And to prove my point, I roll my head some and shrug my shoulders, before shifting some to sit up carefully. My head complains **loudly** but I ignore it and grit my teeth.

"Slow down," Newbie scolds, as he finally moves his hands to my back and shoulder. "I'm still not sure why you fell in the first place. And I think you were out for a second there."

I shoot him with a look as I sit completely upright. "Who made you my nursemaid, Ellie?"

"I did," he says with surprising force, concern for me lacing his words again. "When was the last time you ate something?"

Yesterday. Afternoon. I think.

"I did **so** not just faint, Princess, no matter how stunning you think you look today," I snarl and rub at my complaining forehead. "I must have slipped on something. That's all. I'm working on a migraine from all **your** questions, but otherwise I feel fine. Okay, Florence?"

"Well, I do look rather more stunningly handsome today than usual..." I roll my eyes and shift to stand up. Newbie huffs at me slightly, grabbing hold of my arm firmly in an attempt to keep me seated. "I really think you should stay off your feet a little longer--"

I interrupt him with a snark as I turn to him, "--and I think you should stop grabbing at me, Newbie, or a guy could get the wrong idea about you." And immediately regret the move, as now I'm suddenly nearly nose to nose with the other man. Shit, foot in mouth, Perry. Fantastic.

I am **so** not blushing as he locks eyes with me and stays put right where he is, hands still on my shoulder and arm, keeping me seated. He actually lifts his eyebrows at me, almost looking coy, as he repeats quietly, "The **wrong** idea...?"

Oh. God.

I force myself to growl in annoyance at him instead of swallowing nervously again. I finally break eye contact and snap my gaze away--instantly regretting it as my head complains--as I shrug off his grip and shift to get up again. "**Standing** now, Caroline, and I'll knock **your** ass down onto the floor if you don't let me."

I swear I hear him mutter, barely audibly to himself "Would you join me on the floor?" but then my head swims as I stand, headache swelling to full force, as I manage to stand up onto my feet again. Shit. Maybe I did smack my head harder than I thought. I lean a steadying hand out to the patient room wall as Newbie instantly latches himself back onto me again. His arm slides around my waist as my legs give out a bit. I grunt at the pounding in my head and hold myself right where I am, rubbing at my temple once more.

We hold this position a long moment, until finally the pounding lessens, and I grunt as I scrub my hand down my face. I just need some Aspirin. Or maybe something stronger.

"Doctor Cox," Newbie finally ventures to speak, voice quiet and concerned again. "Are you sure--"

"Goddamn, yes, I'm **fine**," I snap at him. And once more, I regret looking at him, because he's still pressed down my side, arm still wrapped around behind my waist, gaze still worried and probing. This time I do swallow nervously at our intimate proximity and I try to cover it up with returning to rubbing at my head. "I just need something for this headache and I'll be fine."

"Okay. Okay, I'll go get you some meds. But only if we hit the cafeteria after."

"Good god, Martha, I did **not** faint. I slipped." He opens his mouth and I snap firmly, "I **slipped**."

"Fine." He releases his hold on me and I sag slightly against the wall as I work to steady myself on my own two feet. I take a deep breath but then Newbie leans in close, voice dropping, "I just thought you looked... _hungry_."

My heart skips at his possible alluding to other... things. Still, I manage to school my face into a blank expression, before squinting my eyes at him some. "I am not **hungry**."

He keeps his soft tone, slipping nearly into sultry, as he says, "Sure, Perry. Whatever you say." And leans back away from me.

I narrow my gaze further on him and his use of my first name. But damn, does it not sound good on his lips like that...

Fucking desperate as hell, Per.

"But those are the terms. No meds less you come have lunch with me. Immediately."

Of course, I could drag myself to the pharmacy for my own pain medication. At least, I think I could manage to get there by myself. But I am hungry... in more ways than one. Maybe I should eat something.

Eat with Newbie? That fall must have knocked something loose...

I manage a slight smirk at him. "Do you black mail all of your dates with drugs, Newbie?"

"Not all of them." He flashes a wide, slightly embarrassed grin at me. I roll my eyes.

I push off from the wall and he immediately reaches to steady me by one of my arms. I'd shrug him off but I'm still getting my feet back.

Least, that's what I tell myself, anyway...

END 


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